Whatever Works



Larry David+Woody Allen...yes its funny.

Run on thoughts about structure in 3, 2, 1...


In reference to structure I noticed there's a similarity with this and Vicky Cristina (besides both featuring characters who frequently have 3-ways) in that halfway through a female character shows up and completely tears down the established new way of life for the protagonist and ultimately is the driving force of seperation that is never overcome by the films end. Boris and Cristina needed a new person to show up or else it was just going to be happily ever after.

In effect the new character is there to tell the b-story character (Melodie and Juan Antonio - both mentors who are changing the protagonist) that this is wrong and cannot stand. They are the manifestation of what the protagnoist was worrying about in the beginning. They overcame it somehow (between the invitation to live together and the convincing its a good idea somehow, in both) and chose to be with this new person and now the new person is having the boat rocked (cliche) on what they convinced the protagonist of.

The whole first half is a regular love story where opposites attract and then here comes the midpoint reversal saying hold on a minute. If you just ended it in the scene before Boris goes into the bathroom while Melodie does the hilarious bit with the knock at the door you would have a traditional happy ending love story with character change and everything but its Woody Allen so its time to tear down all the relationships in an interesting way that works itself out somehow in the end.

I didnt really care for the very last scene but watching the characters ride out their journey to it was fun to watch and I thought I would think Larry David 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' the whole time but oddly I didnt (or wasnt aware of it) Boris is somehow even a bigger everyday prick than Larry David (not in a bad way of course, its his thing). I didnt mind the southern accent and I didnt think Larry was tripping over his lines or anything, he's never been the smoothest talker anyway.

I completely forgot Patricia Clarkston was in this (another connection to Vicky Cristina) but she really brought a lot to the table when it was starting to need it. She did a great job. Ed Begley Jr kind of looked dusty the whole time somehow and I thought that whole plot of him coming to try to win her back only to find out he's gay was kind of weak, its like New York suddenly became the magical black person of the movie and was helping every person it was touching. And the country rubes coming to the city and embracing some sort of 'taboo' from their former life, ugh, horrible, its barely forgivable with Patrica Clarkston (the photography thing kind of made it worthwhile but it didnt have much meat to it besides an excuse for the mother to not be so uptight anymore) and then we get Ed Begley Jr closet homosexual ex-bible thumper getting his first view o' the big city and jeeze whizz maybe there's more to life than rules and religion, shucks. It was just too much so I kind of didnt care for him in this. Sorry Ed.

Despite those criticisms (they really are minor, despite my run on thoughts)its still definitely worth watching.



Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel





Funny movie (which I'm assuming was low budget) but frustrating in that it doesn't show enough or take the concept far enough (it does in some respects, in others not so much).

Its kind of like that episode of the Clerks Animated Series where they make fun of movie Clerks by everything exciting happening outside the Quickstop only being described to Dante and Randal who can't go out and actually see it because they are of course stuck in the store.

That being said its worth watching and still a lot of fun. If they do the whole lets remake everything with this and make a US version I could actually see it being funnier (and not in a US vs UK humor taste) with some more money and more of an epic scope and yeah I know its not supposed to be epic but when your time traveling to the post apocalyptic future and there's giant ants there should be other stuff in the movie that matches up somehow.

I'll probably watch it every once in a while but probably not if I wasn't such a time travel movie weirdo.



Let the Right One in



I think I heard too many people call this a masterpiece before I saw it but still I really enjoyed it. I dont remember the last time I enjoyed a Vampire movie (although I havent seen any of the zillion tween Vampire things but I'm sure they're of amazing quality) and this is definitely of that realm but so realistic and toned down and simple and genuinely spooky.

I dont really like horror movies but when theyre done like this and there's actual atmosphere and its not just loud noises and leather trench coats then they turn out pretty good.

The bluray looked fantastic too, amazing picture/sound.

If you havent seen it now would be a pretty good time, its cold and October.